


On the Front Lines of Love

by turntechGeneticist717



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Blood, M/M, Some mentions of violence, War AU, but I haven't decided yet, but nothing major, humans vs trolls, jake english is a kid, this might have some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 08:11:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15239121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turntechGeneticist717/pseuds/turntechGeneticist717
Summary: Alternia invaded Earth three years ago and the trolls and humans are still at war with one another. During one battle right before Christmas, three human soldiers(Dirk, Dave and John) become separated from their troops when they have to retreat in to the forest after one of them is badly wounded. They become lost and eventually come across a home in the forest that belongs to a kind old woman and her grandson who offer them shelter. While there, a group of enemy trolls (Karkat, Terezi and Sollux) show up as well and while tensions are high,  things don't go how any of them expect.Dave may or may not think that one of the trolls is more interesting than the others. ( just interesting, definitely not hotttt. nope definitely not ;] )





	On the Front Lines of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so this fic is based off a story from WWII about a group of American soldiers and a group of Nazi soldiers that show up at the same civilian house on Christmas eve and set aside their difference for that one day and share a meal, which you can read about [HERE](http://blog.godreports.com/2017/12/wwii-christmas-eve-miracle-brought-german-american-soldiers-together/) if you're interested.  
> I wasn't sure about this fic tbh (mostly I don't like that it's based on a true story) but I've had it in my head for almost a year now so I finally just figured 'fuck it' I'm going to write it lol It will go beyond the 'Christmas Dinner' and probably be about 6 or so chapters, so hope y'all like it =)
> 
> Special thanks to [Kishi](http://nomisupernova.tumblr.com/) who is the editor on this and works magic to turn my questionable grammar and formatting into something much nicer and easier to read ;)

The fog rolled through the forest, hugging the ground and wrapping itself around everything in its path, making visibility practically zero. Despite it being late December there was no snow on the ground, the location too southern to offer more than a harsh chill this time of year. The wood was hauntingly quiet save for the sound of crunching leaves beneath the boots of the three soldiers that crept the trees, their senses heightened, knowing that death could be lurking anywhere in the thick haze.

The trio were human, not a distinction that would have been needed several years ago, but then the Alternian Empire had invaded earth and trolls were now just about as common as humans. The Alternian Empress, Her Imperious Condescension, had mistakenly thought that Earth would be an easy conquest, but the trolls had quickly learned that humans were more vicious and resilient than they appeared at first glance.

The original troops that the Empress had sent down were quickly decimated, their numbers just not great enough, and when the trolls had realized their folly the Empress quickly sent in the numbers that would match the human population. The war that followed was brutal, every battle that the humans won was quickly overshadowed by a troll victory and vice versa.

It had been three years since the Alternians had invaded and the war between the species was still going strong, the casualties great on both sides. Surrender was never an option for the human race and they would fight until the last soldier was standing. Surrender wasn’t an option for the trolls either, but only because the Condesce didn’t like to lose.

The trio in the forest were foot soldiers in the war against the Alternians and their skill with weapons was well known by human and troll a like. There was a bounty on each of their heads and it wasn’t uncommon for them to be surrounded by trolls during battles once they realized who the humans were. This usually wasn’t a problem for the three men and just enabled them to cut down more of their enemies.

During their last battle however, one of the men, John, had faltered when he had been about to kill a troll. It was a grievous mistake, and he had received a massive wound to his side because of it. When his friends realized what had happened the eldest of the three, Dirk, had hoisted John up and clutched him to his side as he pulled him away from the battle. Dirk’s younger brother, Dave, seeing his brother’s intention was able to hold off the remaining trolls as Dirk dragged John into the cover of the nearby forest.

The trio had been on the outskirts of the battle, so it was easy to slip away but they had also been the first ones into the fray and were now a good distance from their base and the rest of their troops. Dirk pulled John through the wood as quickly as he could, his only concern getting somewhere private and safe, so he could assess John’s wounds.

Heading back toward their base put them at risk of being spotted by a troll and going closer to the Alternian base was  _ obviously  _ out of the question, so Dirk had no choice but to go even deeper into the forest.

John’s wound was bleeding heavily, and Dirk’s hands were covered in blood, but he didn’t let his grip on John falter. It was a good twenty minutes before Dirk found a spot that he felt was hidden enough from view where he could safely work on John and he helped his friend lay on the ground as soon as they reached it.

Dirk pulled out the small medical kit he kept on him at all times and cut away John’s shirt so he could get to the wound without any hindrance. It was worse than he had originally thought, and he pulled out antiseptic from his kit and began cleaning it immediately, hoping to stave off any possible infection. Dirk hadn’t seen what kind of weapon the troll that injured John had had used but if he had to hazard a guess he would say some sort of jagged blade based on the mess it made of John’s skin. It would be a difficult wound to stitch but Dirk had enough practice with nasty wounds that he wasn’t that concerned.

“I… I’m… I’m s-s-sorry. I d-d-don’t know … know w-w-what ha-happened.” John stuttered out, weak and shaky from the loss of blood as well as the pain.

“Shut the fuck up. You’re fine. Everything’s going to be okay,” Dirk assured him even though he could hear the doubt in his voice. He pulled two small towels from his pack and pressed one to the now cleaned wound and tossed the other at John’s face.

John grabbed the towel not needing an explanation for what he was supposed to do with it and promptly wadded it up so he could bite down on it as Dirk began to stitch him up. Dirk work as quickly as he could and John, despite the agony he was in, kept as quiet as possible knowing that if he made any noise it could lead a troll soldier right to them.

Despite the difficulty, Dirk finished quickly and covered the freshly stitched wound with the only gauze pack he had. He dug through his med kit, looking for anything he could give to John in the way medicine. He unfortunately didn’t have anything for pain but was pleased to find a small amount of antibiotic pills.  After ensuring John took them, Dirk set about cleaning up his supplies.

He had almost finished when he heard a twig snap close by and within in a second, he had his sword in hand, ready to face any attack that might come. A moment later, his brother appeared a few feet in front of him, breathless and covered in several varying colors of the hemospectrum. Dirk wasn’t surprised, John had left a trail of blood that would have been easy to track. Dirk lowered his sword but didn’t put it away not knowing if Dave had been followed.

“You good?” he asked Dave and got a nod in response. “Were you followed?”

“Maybe. There was one asshole I couldn’t shake or get close enough to take out. We should probably keep moving. How’s John?”

“Fuck. Alright, come on I’m gonna need help with John. He’s more fucked up than he looks.”

Dave followed Dirk back to where John was still sprawled on the ground and together they hefted him up between them. John couldn’t hold back his groan of pain at the effort and Dirk clamped a hand over his mouth as he and Dave shared a worried look. They moved away from the spot and this time Dirk led them in a direction that would slowly take them back towards their base camp.

It was slow going both because of the rough terrain and the added weight of having to help John along. Because there was the possibility that one of the trolls had followed Dave, the trio started out heading in the direction of the Alternian camp first, hoping to throw off any potential trackers now that there wasn’t a blood trail to follow.  When the brothers collectively decided they had went far enough, they turned to go a bit deeper into the woods before doubling back.

It had already been late in the day when John was wounded and night rolled in before the soldiers were able to reach familiar territory. The dark slowed them down even farther and, with the exception of a few quick rest stops for John’s sake, they kept moving. It was well past midnight when the fog rolled in once again, but Dirk insisted they keep moving, citing John’s need for adequate medical care as the top priority.

They continued on a few more hours before exhaustion finally overtook them and they collectively agreed to rest for the night, with Dave and Dirk taking turns with watch. Morning came all too quickly and with it the bleak realization that they were thoroughly and absolutely fucked. Dirk walked the perimeter of the small space where they had made camp, desperately searching for some sign that would clue him in to what direction they would need to take.

“Yeah, we’re lost as fuck, bro. Maybe they’ll make a TV show about us someday. Hope we get a better ending though,” Dave unhelpfully said coming up to stand next to Dirk.  

Dirk sent him a chilly look but otherwise ignored him and continued his pacing. Dave followed closely behind him and when Dirk stopped short when John began to cough, Dave slammed right into the back of his brother. Dirk caught Dave’s arm to keep him from falling but didn’t acknowledge Dave’s blatant attempt to be annoying, more concerned with John at the moment.

“We’ve gotta get him back to base. If infection sets in, he’s _ fucked _ ,” Dirk whispered quietly to his brother. Dave nodded somberly back. John was Dave’s best friend and it would destroy him if he lost him.

“So, what should we do?”

“We’ve got to keep moving. If we stay here, he’ll die for sure. We eventually have to run into something.”

“Unless we keep going in circles.”

“Your positivity is absolutely  _ infectious _ ,” Dirk dead panned at his brother. He didn’t wait for Dave’s reply and turned back to John. Dave of course followed and together they packed up camp, covered any trace of them being there and set off with John supported between them again. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them, they headed the opposite direction of their base and the much-needed medical tent.

And so, a day and a half later, the three soldiers were still trekking through the forest. The misty fog had rolled in mid morning and it hugged the ground and wrapped itself around everything in its path, making visibility practically zero. Despite it being late December, there was no snow on the ground, the location far too southern to offer more than a harsh chill this time of year. The wood was hauntingly quiet save for the sound of crunching leaves beneath the boots of the three soldiers as they crept the trees, their senses heightened knowing that death could be lurking anywhere in the haze.

Their food was gone, they were past the point of exhaustion, John’s wound desperately needed cleaned and based on the fever John had, Dirk was sure that infection had set in. Despite everything, they kept on, the only communication between them were the silent looks that Dirk and Dave would occasionally shoot each other.

When they stepped into a clearing around mid afternoon, it took a few minutes for the men to realize that the house set in the middle of it wasn’t just a figment of their desperately hopeful imaginations. It was decently sized, considering its location and it looked like it was meticulously cared for. There was what looked like a small greenhouse set off to the side of it and large garden towards the back, although it was sparse because of the time of the year it was. A small fence surrounded it and the men could see smoke coming from the chimney.

“Merry Fuckin’ Christmas,” Dirk drawled out to his companions, making both John and Dave simultaneously realize that with the amount of time elapsed since they had left the battle. Today was, in fact, Christmas.

“Let’s hope they’re friendly,” Dirk said and started toward the house, giving Dave and John no choice but to follow him. There hearts were frantically beating but whether it was from hope or fear none of them knew.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr [ @ nuwanda717 ](//www.tumblr.com/blog/nuwanda717)


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